BND readers sound off on airport parking, new taxes, abortion

Making Belleville proud

Congratulations to Miss Danielle Lanxon in the World Special Olympics. She makes Belleville proud.

Body in trunk?

MidAmerica Airport Director Tim Cantwell said in a recent interview that there are people who park at the airport for months at a time. That’s an open invitation for unscrupulous characters to ditch a stolen vehicle or park one with a dead body or explosives in the trunk. No good can come from such an uncontrolled environment.

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Swansea inaccessible

Why is the new Swansea government center not ADA compliant? Those with disabilities can’t easily access the building. It doesn’t seem well thought-out to me.

Get aggressive at night

I hope that with Mayor Eckert being re-elected that he will take a serious look at Belleville’s police department. Crime in Belleville is bad, no matter what they say about it. I feel that our current chief is not doing what needs to be done to help curb crime in our city. He needs to get more officers out patrolling the streets, especially at night. Belleville needs a new, young and aggressive police chief to turn things around and make the city safer.

No jobs, no money

The story about the “guardian angel” repo man and the family he’s helped is repeated by families all over southern Illinois. The area is depressed and our elected officials have failed us. There are no jobs and no money. It’s a sad thing.

Vote, then tax hike

I’m disappointed in the BND story about the county increasing the property taxes. There was no mention about how this vote happened two weeks after numerous county officials were up for re-election. How convenient for them. Their first order of business was to raise our taxes.

County Board phantoms

In reference to “Marissa Silence” in last week’s Sound-off, we should also have “Unincorporated Belleville Silence.” We have never met our board member. We never knew a thing about trash pick up in St. Clair County. Don’t feel like you’re the only person. I think the board members should let us know who they are and what their job is.

Eye for an eye

People complain about the inhumanity of the death penalty but I think that we’ve come a long way since the hangman’s noose or the guillotine. In fact, I think we’re too nice. I think that we should dispatch murderers in the same manner in which they kill their victims. Torture someone to death? Then, that’s your death penalty sentence — torture. If that solution isn’t good enough for some people, I don’t know what is.

Opioids bad, abortion OK?

In the article about the deaths from opioid and heroin abuse, how can legislators be outraged about death from opioid abuse and spend gobs of money to sue pharmaceutical companies but fund abortions? In one scenario, people intentionally kill themselves and make a poor choice every day and in the other, innocent babies, who don’t have a say, are killed with state money. Please explain Springfield, I am very confused.

Cell phone addicts

I attended an outstanding performance of The Lion King in St. Louis. During the intermission, I noticed that this country has a bigger problem than smoking or drug addiction. Everybody has to pull out their cell phones and start texting. It is ridiculous the number of people who are addicted to the cell phones. The audience paid $100 or more for a seat and they were more interested in texting than a Broadway performance.

Feedback: Term limits

I wonder how sincere Bost and Clayborne are about getting feedback from their constituents. Clayborne calls a town hall meeting via phone but waits until the evening before to alert us. Mike Bost sends surveys but the mail-in postcard isn’t an approved size by the postal service and costs 90 cents to mail back to him. Here’s some feedback for both of these gentlemen: term limits.

Morally corrupt

Thank you, BND, for the article exposing the patronage hiring practices of Jay Hoffman and James Clayborne. Unlike private sector hiring, where you hire the best possible person, Jay Hoffman and James Clayborne had agencies hire unqualified political wonks. Not only were these people unqualified, they were hired at the top salary range. These morally corrupt Illinois politicians are unable to fulfill their basic responsibilities to the voters and the State of Illinois. They only serve their master, Mike Madigan. No wonder Illinois is close to bankruptcy and in serious decline.

Resign, lawmakers

James Clayborne and Jay Hoffman, both of you should resign. You have no idea how angry you have made the taxpayers with your hiring practices. What you did was no different than Rod Blagojevich, the former governor, who’s now in prison, when he tried to sell Obama’s seat. Do the right thing and resign.

Roomies again

Crooked legislators like Hoffman and Clayborne are why taxes are so high, real estate taxes are so outrageous and the cost of living is out of control in Illinois. The real crazy part is that we keep electing the same guys in office. You all are gluttons for punishment. Jay Hoffman was a close friend and college roommate of Rod Blagojevich. He should be serving time like Blagojevich.

Investigate Clayborne

Beth Hundsdorfer and George Pawlaczyk should do an in-depth investigation on Clayborne and “follow the money” just like in the Watergate case. I bet that they’d find so much to give to the State’s Attorney that they’d destroy the corruption in St. Clair County once and for all.

Cringing at C.J.

In the story of the teen charged in the death of another teen at the party, the more I read about C.J. Baricevic, the more I cringe. “He’s not a danger to himself or others?” He killed somebody, even if he didn’t mean to. Let his mother imagine seeing her own son in a casket and then maybe we’ll have some sense in this case. “He didn’t have any weapons?” He had his fists and that was fatal. I don’t known if I want to read any more about this case because of Baricevic.

Storm chaser violations

Fairview and Swansea police issue tickets for phone usage and distracted driving. It appears St. Clair County EMA thinks they are above the law as they are always posting pictures taken from the driver’s side of the vehicle showing storm fronts, etc. If they are providing proof of using their phone while driving, why are they not getting tickets? St. Clair County at its best.

Walmart in TIF 3?

Not sure which property is going to be the new Walmart, but most of that area is TIF 3. If it’s the one I think it is, then the property tax will be $112 of which all goes to TIF 3. Therefore, District 201, county, library, local school districts, all of those are going to be out of luck.

Good or bad explosion?

Mayor Eckert thought that the businesses along Route 15 were exploding. I was confused. I didn’t know if he meant that he thought the future looked bright or if it was blowing up in his face.

Healthy or not?

I’m calling about Edith Moore. The sheriff came to arrest her but her health wasn’t good and he didn’t. The next week, she goes to vote for Tommy Dancy for Oliver Hamilton and goes to all the meetings. Her health is so bad that they don’t arrest her, but she’s healthy enough to go to meetings?

Eckert’s agenda

The Belleville aldermen saying that they’re going to do great things for the taxpayers in Belleville, don’t believe it. They are all on Mark Eckert’s agenda, not their own. Anyone who believes them is a bigger fool than they are.